Trebell wrote:It was interesting to read of Nippon Ichi saying they are focusing on the PS3. They don't seem to have heard of the 360.
It's as if many Japanese companies are happy to be big players in Japan but totally ignore the Western market and thus ignore some great revenue opportunities at the same time.
It's not quite that easy though is it. Japanese developers tried the RPG route with XBOX360 and it failed...being as RPG's are one of the biggest genres in Japan developing new RPG's for a small userbase has now become untenable because it's been so unsuccessful. The big mistake was to develop RPG's for a system not really well suited for it i.e. the genre really isn't big news on XBOX360...action games are...that's where most of it's dollars are made.
Basically confidence in Japan, to develop anything for a western audience, is low because too many mistakes have been made. RPG's is one example but then you have Konami releasing a western developed Silent Hill and Capcom releasing a western developed Bionic Commando and both seem to have done little to inspire confidence in western developed far east games.
There is no synergy between the territories. The Japanese prefer the finer details whereas western developers just like bigger and better. It's like indie v hollywood. Only when you have a common interest in a subject matter, such as cars, will it ever really work.
About that...Sony Liverpool. I don't really care Studio Liverpool is being restructured because I'd much prefer the new GT to another Wipeout or any other UK based Sony developed game...or, in fact, a game from any other developer. Basically it really doesn't affect me. I still get what I want.
HOWEVER, it seems to me there is a clear distinction between Sony Japan, Sony Europe and Sony America i.e. they all have fields of specialisation and if that means a UK studio closes because Sony Europe..or more precisely Sony in the UK...design and develop technology rather than games than so be it.
That's the bigger picture. People will moan because a heart-felt studio is downsizing/closing but, in reality, it's because the brains behind Sony's gaming future resides in the UK. We all know the UK has some of the greatest and most creative talent, we also know that Sony invest an incredible amount of money in to UK talent. Let that be the pinnacle of our gaming future...a unique and technologically progressive identity in the industry for years to come.
It's not just Sony either...I mean look at NATAL, a new technology not developed in the UK but software pioneered by a UK development studio is pushing the system to it's creative/technical limits.
"Race drivers don't really care how fast they're going..we keep going faster and faster until we approach that limit of control and that's when we balance ourselves..that's how we make good time."
JOHN FITCH
1950's Le Mans driver